Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)It is increasingly difficult to find the Happy Hollisters series of books. There were 33 books in this series, written between approximately 1953 and 1970. This particular edition is the fifteenth book in the series, written by a man named Andrew E. Svenson in 1958. Mr. Svenson was a ghostwriter for the Stratemeyer Syndicate with the fictional Jerry West receiving the credit. This book follows "The Happy Hollisters and the Scarecrow Mystery" and precedes "The Happy Hollisters and the Ice Carnival Mystery."
The Happy Hollisters are somewhat of a relic of an era gone by. The family consists of five children, Pete, Pam (Pamela), Ricky, Holly, and Sue, and their parents Mr. and Mrs. Hollister. There are also Zip, a collie, and White Nose, a cat, who has five kittens. Mr. Hollister runs a store called The Trading Post, which is similar to what was once called a general store in days gone by.
Throughout the series the children solve mysteries, usually as a family. This mystery begins with a totem pole in a neighbor's yard. The children learn of the origin of totem poles and find that there is a mystery involving their neighbor and his experiences as a prospector in Alaska.
The Hollisters soon find themselves in Alaska with their cartoonist uncle. The mystery deepens when the children encounter Native American children and shortly after meeting the Native American children criminals rob the Native Americans of their boat. The mystery continues to deepen when the children find another totem pole and that totem pole may lead them to a fabulous treasure!
The mystery in this book takes off a little slowly. However, the pace picks up as the story proceeds and eventually I was unable to put the book down. I think this story is better than average for this series and I recommend this book as a possible starting point for someone interested in appreciating the Happy Hollister series.
The Happy Hollisters series remains a reasonably good, if somewhat outdated, series for younger children, perhaps from ages 4 to 9. I suspect that by age 9 most children are entranced by more modern pursuits. Also, many children may consider families of five children to be somewhat unusual and that may take some explaining. These books may be an excellent way to introduce children to the changes that have taken place in our society over the past half century.
One last word of caution. These books are becoming very difficult to find, and thus their price varies substantially. If you are interested in reading this series you may find editions without covers that sell for less than editions with covers.
I hope you enjoy The Happy Hollisters. They are a reminder of a simpler age that was only a short time ago.
Enjoy!
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery of the Totem Faces #15 in series
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